Is Egypt a third-world country? That is a difficult question to answer. The day we visited the pyramids in Giza, our guide first took us several miles south of Cairo to see the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. The 4000-6000-year-old statues and the early prototypes for pyramid construction were remarkable, but the local residents' way of life left a deeper impression. Outside the chaos of Cairo lies a different Egypt, one where the brays of burros are more co...

The ancient Egyptians venerated felines. This possibly arose because their p**** cats helped to "control" the various vermin that raided the Egyptians' food vaults. Modern Cairo seems to carry on this tradition because the city is positively brimming with cats, in the same fashion that North American cities can swarm with squirrels or pigeons. The cats that prowl through residential and business neighborhoods are thin, feral and no doubt live abbreviated lives....

Travel is often called broadening, exhilarating, or challenging. But there are moments when your mouth is agape and you just know you are a foreigner. I have arrived in Cairo, several hours ahead of Toby. Diane Tayeby, an intern at my office last year but who now lives here, invited me to join her and some friends at a performance of whirling Dervishes tonight. This was quickly arranged: I landed, made my way to the hotel (through Cairo's rush-hour traffic that...

Before I left Rome, I spent most of a day toddling through the collectrivia of the Vatican Museum, and then I slipped next door for an hour-long perusal of St. Peter's Basilica. Now, there is no doubt that the Pope's museum has one of the world's great assemblages of sculpture in the Western world. Unfortunately, its arrangement is more haphazard than well-planned, and sadly this erratic display hampers the opportunity to learn a bit more about the development ...

Ancient Rome's legacy permeates this city, but nowhere does it feel more interactive than at the Pantheon. This round, domed temple is a masterpiece of architectural symmetry and engineering. The original was constructed in the first century B.C.E., but Emperor Hadrian had it rebuilt in 126 C.E. for public worship of all the Roman Gods. ("Pan-theon" is a Greek term meaning "all the gods.") Since 609 C.E., it has served as a Christian church. Thus, because of thi...